Inbound tourism, as seen by Juliano Zappalà, is on the up, at least judging by the results from some Italian regions, starting with Sicily.
Sicily is a highly sought-after destination
“The summer season remains positive. Sicily continues to attract strong interest and impressive figures, confirming its status as a highly sought-after destination. In terms of revenue, it hasn’t been our best summer, but the overall picture certainly remains positive. 2026 got off to a very good start, but international events led to a slowdown. We therefore expect to close the year without exceeding the record figures recorded in 2025,” says Dimensione Sicilia’s general manager Julian Zappalà. 
“Brazil is a very interesting new development”
“There were various cancellations in April and May, particularly from the Australian market. This was due to stopovers in Dubai and the Middle East; the uncertainty surrounding the international situation has affected travel. Then there were concerns about costs and flight connections.” For Dimensione Sicilia the main target markets remain the United States, Australia, Canada, Argentina, France and Spain and, more generally, the English, Spanish and French-speaking markets. “Brazil is a very interesting new development. Following our participation in a trade fair there was immediate and very positive interest, which has led us to view this market with great attention and promising prospects.”
Last-minute bookings are on the rise
“We are seeing increasingly significant growth in last-minute bookings, including for groups and from international markets. We used to work with much longer booking lead times, but this year bookings are being finalized closer and closer to departure dates. This is a significant shift in travel habits and, as tour operators, we must be increasingly flexible and ready to adapt.” Dimensione Sicilia’s philosophy remains one of bespoke service: “We continue to create bespoke itineraries, tailored to the needs each individual customer. We get many requests for quotes based on itineraries generated using artificial intelligence, which naturally must then be verified, corrected and adapted to the reality of the destination. But we see AI as useful, particularly for speeding up certain operational processes, without, however, compromising the value of human experience and advice.”
New “Sicilian Secrets” themed packages
Among the new features are the guaranteed winter departures for “Sicilian Secrets,” with themed packages for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and New Year’s Eve. “Particularly interesting is the combination of Carnival and the Feast of Saint Agatha. This year the two dates coincide and we’ve created a package that brings together two of Sicily’s most important and evocative festivals.”
